SafeCom Pay

SafeCom Pay

Charge users for print and copy costs up-front

The expense of printing and copying in educational institutions and libraries is a challenging management problem that needs careful consideration. The solution chosen should of course allow for accurate charging of printing and copying, preferably with as little administrative overhead as possible. But how about taking the solution one step further: give all users the freedom to collect their documents at any printer at any time; save costs by avoiding wasting paper.

How SafeCom Pay works

SafeCom Pay is a modular system that can be enhanced with add-on modules to build customer specific and scalable pay solutions. Without add-on modules SafeCom Pay is a software based solution that tracks print jobs for an unlimited number of users and printers. The tracked data includes: owner, number of pages, paper size, and possible use of color and duplex. SafeCom Pay can be used by both staff and students. Staff’s print activity is unlimited, but can be tracked and used for subsequent departmental invoicing. Students’ print activity can be subject to various accounting policies, including:

Full cost recovery Students pay for all their printing. Partial cost recovery Students are given a certain amount of credits. When the credits run out the students can choose to buy more credits. Quota control Students are given a certain amount of credits and can print until they run out (quota is used). This policy is popular in schools that do not allow fee-based printing.

Pull Print Benefits

Because nothing is printed until somebody is on hand to collect it, the piles of discarded or forgotten paper around the printers disappear. This typically means 10% cost savings. Documents follow users to their choice of printer. User identification at the printer is by means of a card and/or code. On MFPs, users identify themselves the same way to access copying functionality. Staff and students can use the same printers and MFPs without jeopardising document security.

Easy work-arounds for printer downtime, as users can walk to another printer. Ideal for printing transparencies because when users are logged in at the printer they have full control and time to load special media. Restrict users' access to printers. Easier queue management. Allow balanced deployment of Workgroup printers and mfps.

Self Service Benefits

Administrative staff do not have to spend valuable time accepting and handling cash deposits from students. Students are not dependent on availability of staff to deposit money and can thus print and copy outside office hours, when staff is not available.

Students can revalue their account themselves via the Internet using SafeCom ePay. Students without credit card can deposit notes and coins in the SafeCom Money Loader. As many SafeCom MoneyLoaders can be deployed as required.

Cost Control Benefits

Track print usage and use the recorded data for subsequent departmental invoicing. Documents printed directly to the printer can be tracked without the need of special hardware. Students can be made to prepay for printing and copying, in which case they are prevented from printing or copying if the balance of their account goes below a specified limit.

Scalable solution using multiple servers working together to support as many printers and users as required and allow users to roam between locations. Your SafeCom Pay solution can grow with your needs, thus protecting your investment and keeping your revenue stream flowing.